At SVGC we’re proud to be a small business formed of experienced, highly qualified people operating on a national platform.
Carl Bodsworth is a Technical Business Consultant at SVGC, bringing six years’ public sector experience across data analysis, software development and agile delivery. With a background in mathematics, he thrives on problem-solving and building practical solutions.
What’s your role at SVGC and what’s your background?
I worked in the public sector for six years, predominantly with the MOD, where I held roles as a Data Analyst, Software Developer and most recently an Agile Delivery Lead. I’ve always seen myself as an adept problem solver, and my background in mathematics has helped me approach challenges logically and creatively.
What are your ‘must haves’ to start the working day?
When I’m working from home, I start by saying hello to my black lab, Belle, and making a Hotel Chocolate mocha. I’ll catch up on emails and then join the team stand-up.
If I’m on a customer site, my day starts with a drive listening to either an American Football podcast or an audiobook, depending on the time of year.
What’s your proudest work achievement to date?
At my previous organisation, I worked on increasing operational output for a data manipulation project. It meant balancing the needs of analysts while helping developers understand domain challenges. We improved and updated toolsets so that operational output increased by a factor of four, while also giving end users better control of their data.
What do you love most about what you do?
I love solving problems and coming up with unique solutions by understanding different points of view. Most importantly, I like to think that the work I do makes someone else’s day a little bit better, whether that’s through better software or by making things easier for the people I work with.
What does your typical working day look like?
I usually start around 8:30 with a mocha at my standing desk, checking emails and attending daily stand-ups. I take an hour at lunch to walk the dog and eat, often ramen or leftovers from the night before. I’m most productive from 10–12 and again from 2–4, so I try to schedule more complex tasks for those times, usually with some music playing in the background.
When you hit a wall workwise, what do you do?
Stepping away from the problem always helps, whether that’s making a cup of tea, changing how I look at the issue, or even switching from sitting to standing.
If I don’t solve it that day, sleep usually does the job. I often wake up with ideas or solutions, and when I come back to my desk those usually lead me to the answer or at least a strong path forward.
